After a 2-1 exhibition victory at No. 13 Clemson, the 12th-ranked Duke women's soccer program is gearing up for their season opener this Friday. As the Blue Devils prepare to kick off the year against No. 6 North Carolina, it's time to take a look back at last week and the 2017 season as a whole with this week's DWS Notebook.

After opening up the preseason last week, the 12th-ranked Duke women's soccer team will head to No. 13 Clemson Friday, Aug. 11 in a 6 p.m. exhibition match at Riggs Field. Admission is free for all fans.

Coming off its fifth trip to the NCAA quarterfinals or better in the last six years and with 10 starters returning, the Duke women's soccer program was tabbed No. 12 in the preseason United Soccer Coaches (USC) top 25 rankings released Friday. The USC was formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Following a vote of the 14 league head coaches, the ACC released the 11-member preseason All-ACC team Thursday along with the preseason coaches poll. Duke redshirt senior Rebecca Quinn landed on the team for the second-straight year, while the Blue Devils were picked to finish third in the league.

One of the greats in Duke women's soccer history moved a step closer to a prestigious NCAA award Tuesday, as recent Blue Devil graduate Christina Gibbons has been selected as one of the ACC's two nominations for NCAA Woman of the Year.